Even the most ardent Kardashian hater has got to be feeling a bit of sympathy as word comes this weekend that Kim Kardashian's teacup Persian kitten, Mercy, has died. According to E!, the most adorable 4-month-old kitten passed away from a "cancer-like virus often associated with breeding."

This picture of Mason Disick holding Mercy a few months back is simply heartbreaking to look at and think that the kitten died after such a short life. If you recall, this is the kitten that Kanye West gave Kim back in September. She was thrilled, but learned shortly thereafter that she was allergic to cats, and had to find another home for the kitten. It seemed like she'd found the perfect one too.

Khloe Kardashian's assistant, Sydney Hitchcock, had recently lost her cat of 12 years. Kim thought the new kitten would be a great way to lift Sydney's spirits and move on. And it was ... for a while.

On her blog Kim said, Sydney gave Mercy a loving home, but after a couple of weeks the kitten had to be rushed to the vet. They discovered she had the rare stomach cancer and there was nothing that could be done to save her. She continued:

Poor little Mercy died the very next day. It broke not only my heart that little Mercy died at only four months old, but Sydney’s too.

Mercy was a gentle and loving kitten and we are all going to miss her so much. Thanks to Sydney for making Mercy’s short life one filled with love. RIP Mercy Xo

So as bad as we feel for Kim, it's Sydney who really deserves our sympathy as it was really her cat. The poor woman has now lost two cats in a year, and we can only imagine how difficult that must be for her. I'm sure Kim feels terrible for putting her through it when she was only trying to help too, but Sydney is certainly aching deeply.

Unfortunately, sometimes that's way life goes, and there's no one to blame. In this case, however, there may be. Kim apparently is upset with the breeder, and a source said she called them to say they should be more responsible. I don't know a lot about breeding, but it sounds like a pretty good reason to get your cat from a shelter to me. Of course, there are never any guarantees, and sadly pets pass. It's just too bad little Mercy had to after such a short life.